


Dance with me

by thursday11



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: M/M, i could not resist that idea, i promised my next one will be happy, so basically another cralt fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 09:39:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17423453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursday11/pseuds/thursday11
Summary: His head was resting in Crowley's lap, who was leaning against the tree. He looked at his face, where summer evening's sun rays drew their beautiful play in fiery colors, just as his braided hair was. A little smile ghosted at the corners of his lips.„Do you remember that night?"





	Dance with me

**Author's Note:**

> okay, here goes another writing of mine... i know, another cralt, but i can't help myself. it is way more happy than the last one,, i hope you'll like it, any critics are welcomed

„Go, grab a girl or something,“ Crowley prompted him with his elbow and gifted him with his usual cheerful smile. „You’re standing here this whole evening like a grumpy green dwarf who couldn’t make it into spring garden collection.“ With those words, ginger haired ranger cautiously backed away, so he could not be burned to ashes under the gaze of those black as night eyes.

Halt slowly turned his head to face him. He decided to ignore the last comment, as he was aware that murdering the commandant of rangers corps on King’s banquet would not be very ideal. „For what? Grab a girl for what?“

Crowley shrugged. „Maybe for dancing? Because, considering your friendly attitude, chatting with one wouldn‘t probably be the best idea.“

The other ranger snorted disdainfully. „Dancing? I don’t do the dancing.“

„Yes. You are right. It is probably for the best, standing here all night, staring spitefuly at the other people.“ Crowley exaggeratedly sighed. „No wonder where this ‚rangers do the black magic, they are creepy guys‘ stuff comes from.“

„I did not ask to be here,“ Halt muttered defiantly. He hated these banquets since he was little. Back in Hibernia, he was forced to wear those fancy glittering clothes, dance with noble ladies and pretend he’s having fun. There was only one person who managed to break a smile from him a made him dance. Halt missed Caitlyn so much. He started to feel the tears prickling in his eyes, so he turned away from his friend and forced them down.

The ginger-haired ranger tried one last attempt. „No, but your King did. And you are his friend. So please try to at least not to scare all the nobles here.“ By saying so, he quietly left, light on his feet, leaving the grumpy ranger alone again. Halt watched him join a group, consisting of Arald, Sandra and Pauline. He greeted them with his undying smile and told them something apparently funny, because suddenly the whole group burst into socially acceptable laughter. They were talking for a while, then Arald offered his hand to Sandra and led her gracefully to the dance floor.

So that left Crowley and Pauline altogether alone with each other. As they continued exchanging chats and smiles, Halt suddenly started to sense an unknown pang in his chest. He was not quite sure what it was, but he was quite positive that he did not like it at all. It soured his mood even more. Halt decided that it will be for the best, if he just furtively walked away. He set down the glass of wine he had been given, not drinking at all and silently made his way to the exit of the hall.

Suddenly he felt a warm touch on his shoulder. „ You can be such a child sometimes. You can’t wait for while, can you?“ Wide grin spread across Crowley’s face.

Halt turned to him, eyebrows raised, a little annoyance radiating from him. „I was just starting to have a real fun,“ he snapped sarcastically.

But even that didn’t scare away playful spark in redhead’s eyes. Despite his previous statetment, he smiled childishly. „Come with me,“ Crowley whispered and grabbed his hand.

Normally, Halt wouldn’t let anyone touch him like that, not to mention drag him like that. But tonight was somehow different. The other one’s hand wrapped around his palm felt so relaxing and drugged by his own ill mood, he followed redhead as he led him out of hall, through the hallways to the royal gardens. He drew a deep breath of the fresh air, most of his bad thoughts dissolving into the air.

Crowley slowed his pace, but still hadn’t let go Halt’s hand as he continued walking through the garden, eyeing the shadows of midnight trees. He was savouring this moment as he felt his chest rising in anticipative breaths. The moon flared brightly like a white sun in the dark enigmatic sky. It bathed the garden in its cold bleak light, which made him a shiver a little. He squeezed his friend’s hand lightly, subconsciously hoping to draw more of warmth from it.

After a while, he stopped under the balcony, which was one of the protrusions of the great hall. The golden light, melodic music and tinkling of laughter wafted out of the hall in heady rhythm, slowly intoxicating his senses. Crowley turned to Halt whose face radiated with mild confusion, underlined by soft wrinkle drawn between his eyebrows. The black haired ranger opened his mouth to say something, but Crowley held up his index finger to shush him.

„Just don’t say anything for now,“ he gently whispered, „I’ll lead you.“

Crowley nonchalantly put his hand around Halt’s waist and raised the one which was still holding Halt’s. He began moving smoothly in small steps, circling between trees, falling into the rhythm of the music. With each breath he moved by inch closer to other body, drewing the other one’s ambrosial scent into his lungs. His feet were light in their move, always stepping in precise motions next to Halt’s, never breaking the slowly increasing rhythm of their play.

Halt slightly quivered under the sudden feeling of his friend‘s hand around his waist. As his mind was still dumbfounded and inebriated by his thoughts, his body did nothing to resist. It began automatically move in ingrained movements, which he learned when he was little. Crowley’s hands were warm like summer blazed days and his shallow breath felt like an aestival breeze on his exposed skin. One gaze into his eyes was enough for Halt to be drowning in their deep and captivating look. Soon, he began to wish for more than that. The last bits of uncertainty and constraints dissolved into the cold night, leaving nothing behind but peaceful harmony in his mind. Halt gradually gave in, his body following Crowley’s cadence, feet trailing in his footsteps, occasionally rubbing against his legs.

And so the two rangers swirled in symphonic pulse between the trees, lightly like leaves of their own, each aching for the other one’s warmth against the chilly breeze. Their movements were smooth like feathers on their arrows and fluent like their mottled cloaks in the wind. Both were captured by the other one’s presence and none of them wanted to let go. Their steps were harmonically entangled into the night, their souls spreading wings, free from all conventions chains, the tale of their hearts carving itself into the rhythm, moon guiding them through loveless darkness.

It was the dance. Dance full of passion, love and affection. Dance of unspoken words and cerulean dreams. Dance, which never reached its end, even in quietus of their lives.

***

As they danced, in their rhythm, Crowley laid his head onto Halt’s shoulders. There was no distance between them now, they were like one body. Their chests lifted in synchronized motion, they were the one.

„You said you can’t dance,“ he whispered with playful accusation.

„I did not say I can’t dance, I said that I don‘t want to dance,“ answered Halt, then long silence followed. „Well, it seems, I never found the right person. Until now.“

The black haired ranger gasped in surprise, as he felt few warm tears sliding down his cheek. And more came as he sensed his friend’s tears on his shoulder.

The cadence of their dance slowly started to fade away and as the shard of time passed, they came to stop. They stood there for eternity, in a tender embrace, until they felt first summer rays on their cheeks. The music was slowly dying out and so was the night.

Crowley gently pulled away a looked into Halt’s eyes. They were like two obsidians, windows to comforting darkness behind them. Full of unspoken care and tenderness. The undying smile touched the corners of his mouth. It was not his usual grin, with which he greeted everyone. This one belonged only to one person.

„You are my sunshine, Halt,“ he confided softly, „when there is you, there is never cold abysm of end.“

You are my music,“

You are my spark,“

You are my love, Halt.“

Crowley, hesitated for a moment, as the other one was left breathless, but then covered a small distance between them and gently pressed his lips on Halt’s. His kiss was light in its touch at first, as Halt was stunned by the sudden act, but then the black haired ranger started to give in. So he deepened his kiss, raised his hand and ran it through Halt’s hair, stroking it between his fingers.

Halt let his eyelids to close, as his whole being longed for Crowley’s lips and he reached for his hand, caressing his hair. But then it suddenly all came to an abrupt stop. He was paralyzed by it, his eyes staying closed.

When he opened them, Crowley was not there. A wave of confusion washed over his body. Until he heard the subtle warmhearted chime of his friend’s laugh, tinkling somewhere behind the trees, slowly fading out.

„I’ll see you later, better not to people know about us.“

***

His head was resting in Crowley’s lap, who was leaning against the tree. He looked at his face, where summer evening’s sun rays drew their beautiful play in fiery colors, just as his braided hair was. A little smile ghosted at the corners of his lips.

„Do you remember that night?“

Crowley slightly tugged in surprise, as it was quite unusual for Halt to start a conversation. He ran his fingers through that beloved black hair. He decided to pull Halt’s leg a little.

„What night?“ he asked in faked confusion. „I mean, I remember many nights.“

Black haired ranger drew a sharp breath. „Well, that n-n-night, we were… uhm...“ His cheeks flushed to bright red as he stammered.

„We were what?“ demanded Crowley, quite enjoying the situation. „Ohh, you mean like when we danced?“ he bantered playfully. The joy of teasing Halt in these things never ceased to amuse him. Since that night, they spend a lot of time together. It started with that single one dance and continued as they both submerged into the ocean of their love. With each look, touch and kiss, it deepened like endless abyss and soon the kisses grew into something more. But even after all these years, Halt still wasn’t able to talk about it with a straight face. The ginger-haired ranger couldn’t help but finding it adorable. He traced his finger alongside the line of Halt’s face, following up the curves of his neck playfully. But his hand was suddenly stopped.

„Stop mocking me with these things,“ the black haired ranger got up to his elbows and glared at him in pretended pique. „It’s not fair.“

A spark was ignited in Crowley’s eyes. „Please accept my humble apology, your highness.“

And with those words, he leaned over to Halt, and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. He wanted to rest his back against the tree again, but he was passionately grabbed by his shirt.

„Don’t you think you are getting so easily away with that."


End file.
